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Tag: Ashok Chavan

  • Delhi High Court stays EC’s paid news notice to Ashok Chavan

    Delhi High Court stays EC’s paid news notice to Ashok Chavan

    NEW DELHI: Former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan has received an interim relief with Delhi High Court putting a stay on the show cause notice issued by the Election Commission to the Congress politician.

     

    The Court also issued notice to BJP leaders Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Kirit Somaiya and one independent candidate who had filed complaint against Chavan to the EC.

     

    The poll panel in the notice on 13 July had asked Chavan who had stood from Nanded in Maharashtra as to why he should not be disqualified for not giving correct details of his 2009 poll expenses.

     

    A fortnight ago, the Commission had set a 20-day deadline for Chavan to respond to the notice, saying he had “failed to lodge his account of election expenses in the manner required by the (Representation of the People) Act and rules.”

     

    Chavan had moved the court against the EC’s order, saying the panel had not followed the procedure laid out in the Representation of People Act prior to giving its findings.

     

    He had also said that the expenses that he had allegedly not declared pertained to some advertisements that were released in October 2009 regarding a meeting that was to be held between the members of United Progressive Alliance (UPA).

     

    Senior advocate Kapil Sibal appeared for Chavan and argued that the ex-CM did not know who had issued the advertisements.

     

    Chavan had won the 2009 assembly election from Bhokar in Maharashtra’s Nanded Lok Sabha constituency. He won the recent Lok Sabha polls from Nanded.

     

    It was contended that Chavan had incurred an expense of over Rs 16,000 for attending the UPA meeting that was advertised and that he had cited the same while filing his poll spends.

  • Chavan unfazed by EC Notice, says it vindicates his stand

    Chavan unfazed by EC Notice, says it vindicates his stand

    NEW DELHI: Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan remains unfazed by the show cause notice issued to him by the Election Commission.

     

    In fact, Chavan said this only vindicated his and the Congress’ stand that “there is no question of paid news.”

     

    “Our stand on the paid news issue has been confirmed by the Election Commission. Even the High Court and Supreme Court had taken a similar stand when our opponents had filed a petition. The courts had rejected their petition. Now this (EC) order is also very clear. There is no question of paid news,” Chavan told Press Trust of India over phone.

    Chavan claimed that he had himself pleaded with the Commission to give him an opportunity to file electoral expenses as required by law and he will now do this as notice has been issued to him.

     

    “There is a provision under which a notice can be served to us. We will reply to that. I have not seen the order in detail yet. But the issue of paid news is ruled out totally,” Chavan said.

    The notice relates to the election to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly held in September-October 2009 wherein Chavan was the candidate from the Bhokar seat.

    The complainants who include rival contestant Madhavrao Kinhalkar, Bharatiya Janata Party vice president Kirit Somaiya, BJP MP Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and five others had alleged in their submission made before the Election Commission that Chavan got several advertisements published in various regional newspapers during the poll campaign.

    The complainants had alleged that the advertisements which appeared in newspapers in the garb of news eulogising Chavan and his achievements as Chief Minister, were “paid news”.

     

    It was alleged by them that a huge expenditure was incurred or authorised by Chavan for getting those advertisements and the articles published as news, and that the expenditure incurred or authorised on the publication of those paid news was not included by Chavan in his account of election expenses maintained under section 77 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. 

  • EC to start hearing of paid news case against Ashok Chavan

    EC to start hearing of paid news case against Ashok Chavan

    NEW DELHI: With the Supreme Court having given its clearance earlier this month, the Election Commission has announced its decision to proceed with the hearings in the “paid news” case against former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan.

    The case pertains to a complaint filed by Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Madhavrao Kinhalkar, Kirti Somaiya and four others regarding publication of advertisements in various newspapers during the election campaign period for the Maharashtra Assembly held in September-October 2009 ‘in the garb of news eulogising him and his achievements as CM’. Chavan had won assembly polls from Bhokar constituency.

    The Commission is to commence hearing on 17 May. Sources in the Commission told indiantelevision.com that the case will be heard expeditiously so that it does not have to start anew under a new incumbent since the Supreme Court noted that chief election commissioner SY Quraishi is laying down office on 10 June.

    The complaint alleged that Chavan had showed just Rs 5,379 as the expenses on newspaper advertisements in his accounts filed before the Commission. In the complaint filed on November 2009, it was specifically prayed that the account of election expenses of Chavan under Section 10 A of the Peoples’ Representation Act 1951 should be investigated.

    Chavan had moved the Delhi High Court and then the Supreme Court, but both ruled that the EC was well within its rights to probe the accounts.

    Justices Altamas Kabir and J. Chelameshwar on 2 May said the EC could go ahead with the probe but the findings should not be made public. The EC had begun proceedings against Chavan on 2 April 2011.

  • Editors Guild steps up tirade against paid news, urges EC to act

    Editors Guild steps up tirade against paid news, urges EC to act

    NEW DELHI: The Editors Guild has urged the Election Commission to take strong action against candidates and mediapersons who violate the disclosure norms of election expenditure to gain media publicity.

    A delegation from the Guild, led by president Rajdeep Sardesai, submitted a memorandum to the Commission, deploring the ‘paid news’ phenomenon. The memorandum cited several recent investigative reports which highlighted the prevalence of this dangerous practice, which threatened the foundations of journalism by eroding public faith in the credibility and impartiality of news reporting. It also vitiated the poll process and prevented a fair election, since richer candidates who could pay for their publicity had a clear advantage, the Guild pointed out.

    Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla admitted that the EC did not have the mechanism to monitor the candidates in all 543 constituencies, but some random samples could be examined closely.

    Election Commissioner SY Qureshi said Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan had been issued notice to reply by 1 February for allegedly paying publications for favourable publicity in the recent assembly election.

    The Guild was represented by senior journalists Coomi Kapoor, Mannini Chatterjee and Seema Chisti.